Rear vehicle-body structure of vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle-body structure for suppressing deformation of a lift gate opening is provided. Embodiments include a vehicle having a rear annular framework formed from a cross member, side braces, connecting members, and a rear header; a rear suspension on lower surfaces of side pillars in the same position as the cross member in a vehicle front-rear direction; and wheel well inner portions on the vehicle rear side with respect to the cross member, each having an upper end having a damper supporting portion for mounting a suspension damper. The side braces each connect a place near the cross member and a place near the damper supporting portion to each other in a vehicle up-down direction; and the connecting members each connect a place near each end portion of the rear header in a vehicle width direction and the place near the damper supporting portion to each other.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-body structure of a vehicleforming an annular structure that is substantially annular in frontview; for example, on the rear side of suspension dampers.

BACKGROUND ART

For example, Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2019-151287 discloses avehicle-body structure of a vehicle in which a vehicle-width-directionsubstantially-annular vehicle body framework that is substantiallyannular in vehicle-body front view and vehicle-body plan view is formedby a rear end cross that extends in the vehicle width direction, a pairof left and right gusset members, upper thick-wall forming portions ofrear wheel wells having a pair of left and right damper supportingportions, a pair of left and right wheel well reinforcements, and afloor rear-side cross member that extends in the vehicle width directionon the rear side of a vehicle. By providing the annular structure inwhich the plurality of members as above are annularly connected to eachother on the vehicle rear side, the rigidity of the vehicle rear sidecan be improved.

In a vehicle of which convenience is improved by securing the capacityof a trunk provided on the vehicle rear side, for example, a structurein which rear damper supporting portions and a lift gate opening arespaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction is provided. Inthis case, even when the vehicle-width-direction substantially-annularvehicle body framework is provided on the rear side of the vehicle as inJapanese Patent Laid Open No. 2019-151287, the load input from asuspension is mainly in the up-down direction, and hence there is a fearthat the up-down-direction load input to the rear damper supportingportions and suspension mounting portions may cause a large displacementin the up-down direction in a back end portion of the vehicle and adistorted deformation may be caused in the lift gate opening dependingon conditions of the vehicle weight and the rear overhang.

SUMMARY

In view of the abovementioned problem, the present disclosure provides avehicle-body structure of a vehicle capable of suppressing a distorteddeformation of a lift gate opening.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-body structure of a vehicle,including, on a vehicle rear side: a pair of left and right rear sideframes that extend in a vehicle front-rear direction; a cross memberthat connects the rear side frames to each other in a vehicle widthdirection; and a rear header that extends in the vehicle width directionon an upper side of a lift gate opening. The vehicle-body structureincludes: a pair of left and right suspension mounting portions disposedon lower surfaces of the rear side frames and in a substantially sameposition as the cross member in the vehicle front-rear direction; a pairof left and right rear wheel wells disposed on a vehicle rear side withrespect to the cross member and each having an upper end having a dampertop on which an upper end of a suspension damper is mounted; a pair ofleft and right side braces that each connect a place near the crossmember and a place near the damper top to each other in the vehicleup-down direction; and a pair of left and right connecting members thateach connect the place near the damper top and a place near each endportion of the rear header in the vehicle width direction to each other.In the vehicle-body structure, the cross member, the pair of left andright side braces, the pair of left and right connecting members, andthe rear header form an annular structure that is substantially annularin front view.

By the present disclosure, the distorted deformation of the lift gateopening can be suppressed. More particularly, by connecting the placenear each of the pair of left and right damper tops and the place neareach end portion of the rear header in the vehicle width direction toeach other by each of the pair of left and right connecting members, thecross member, the pair of left and right side braces, the pair of leftand right connecting members, and the rear header can form the annularstructure that is substantially annular in front view.

The cross member that forms the annular structure is disposed in thesubstantially same position as the suspension mounting portion in thevehicle front-rear direction, and the connecting member is connected tothe place near the damper top. Hence, the up-down-direction load inputto the suspension mounting portion and the damper top can be received bythe annular structure.

In other words, the annular structure that is substantially annular infront view can transmit the up-down-direction load input to thesuspension mounting portion and the damper top to the place near therear header as an axial force, and hence the displacement of thesuspension mounting portion and the damper top can be suppressed.Therefore, the distorted deformation of the lift gate opening can besuppressed.

As an aspect of the present disclosure, the connecting members mayextend along the side braces so as to be substantially parallel to theside braces. According to the present disclosure, the transmissiondirection of the up-down-direction load input from the suspensionmounting portion and the damper top can be transmitted to the connectingmembers via the side braces in a continuous manner, and theup-down-direction load can be transmitted in a more efficient manner.Therefore, the input up-down-direction load can be more efficientlytransmitted to the place near the rear header as the axial force.

As an aspect of the present disclosure, the rear wheel wells may eachhave a ridge portion at which an arc-shaped wheel well upper surfacethat protrudes toward the upper side and a wheel well inner surfaceformed on an inner side in the vehicle-width-direction intersect witheach other provided thereon, and each of the connecting members may beconnected to the ridge portion.

According to the present disclosure, the connecting member can beconnected to the ridge portion of which rigidity is relatively high ascompared to other places of a rear wheel damper, and hence theup-down-direction load input from the suspension mounting portions andthe damper tops can be transmitted to the rear header in a continuousmanner As a result, the distorted deformation of the lift gate openingcan be suppressed more.

As an aspect of the present disclosure, a rear pillar that extends fromthe rear header to a lower side and forms the lift gate opening may beincluded, the connecting members may each include a flat surface portionfacing in the vehicle width direction from a damper-top-side end portionfixed to the damper top to a rear-header-side end portion fixed to therear header, and the flat surface portion may be fixed to one surface ofthe rear pillar facing in the vehicle width direction and one surfacenear the damper top. The expression of “facing in the vehicle widthdirection” described above does not only mean a case where the vehiclewidth direction matches with a perpendicular line direction orthogonalto the flat surface portion, and may be a direction in which the vehiclewidth direction intersects with the vertical direction at an angle lessthan 45 degrees.

According to the present disclosure, the flat surface portion canconnect the place near the damper top and the rear pillar to each otherin a state of facing in the vehicle width direction without beingtwisted or curved. Therefore, the connecting portion can transmit theup-down-direction load input from the road surface via the rearsuspension damper to the place near the rear header as the axial forcein a more efficient manner.

As an aspect of the present disclosure, the connecting members may eachhave a bead that extends in a longitudinal direction provided thereon.The bead may be provided such that one bead is provided in thelongitudinal direction of the connecting member from the base end sideto the distal end side, or a plurality of beads may be disposed in thelongitudinal direction of the connecting member in a continuous manner.

According to the present disclosure, the rigidity of the connectingmembers can be improved without increasing the mass of the connectingmembers. Thus, the up-down-direction load input from the road surfacevia the rear suspension dampers can be reliably transmitted by theconnecting members. Therefore, the distorted deformation of the liftgate opening can be suppressed in a more reliable manner.

As an aspect of the present disclosure, a rear pillar that extends fromthe rear header to a lower side and forms the lift gate opening, and agusset member that connects a place near the damper top to which each ofthe connecting members is connected and the rear pillar to each othermay be included.

According to the present disclosure, the rigidity can be improved andthe up-down-direction load input from the damper top can be distributedto the connecting member and the gusset member in a more reliablemanner. As a result, the distorted deformation of the lift gate openingcan be suppressed in a more reliable manner.

According to the present disclosure, the vehicle-body structure of thevehicle capable of suppressing the distorted deformation of the liftgate opening can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle-body structure of a rearportion of a vehicle of an embodiment of the present disclosure seenfrom the front side.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the rear portion of the vehicleof the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the main part of the vehicle-bodystructure of the rear portion of the vehicle of the embodiment of FIG. 1from the inner side.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a gusset member.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a connecting member.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory views of the mounting of the connectingmember.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view for describing an annular vehicle bodyframework.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail withreference to the drawings below. A vehicle 1 of this embodiment is aso-called hatchback vehicle in which a trunk is provided on the vehiclerear side of a vehicle cabin that is boarded and alighted from by anoccupant and the vehicle rear side of the trunk is covered with a backdoor (also referred to as a lift gate) in an openable and closablemanner A vehicle-body structure of the vehicle 1 as above is describedwith reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a rear vehicle seen from thefront side, FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional plan view of the rearvehicle that is cut at a substantially central portion in the heightdirection seen from the upper side, and FIG. 3 illustrates a side viewof a rear vehicle body seen from the inner side that is an arrowcross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a gusset member 51 seen from thevehicle-width-direction inner side, FIG. 5 illustrates an arrowcross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 illustratesa front view of a connecting member 52 seen from thevehicle-width-direction inner side, FIG. 7 illustrates an arrowcross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 6, FIGS. 8A and 8B areexplanatory views of the mounting of the connecting member, and FIG. 9illustrates a perspective view of the rear vehicle seen from the frontside in order to describe an annular vehicle body framework F formed bythe connecting member 52. The vehicle-body structure of the rear portionof the vehicle 1 of this embodiment is bilaterally symmetrical, andhence only the vehicle body right side is illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3,and FIG. 8.

In the drawings, arrows Fr and Rr indicate the front-rear direction,arrow Fr indicates the front side, and arrow Rr indicates the rear side.Arrows Rh and Lh indicate the width direction, arrow Rh indicates theright direction, and arrow Lh indicates the left direction. Arrow INindicates the vehicle-width-direction inner side, and arrow OUTindicates the vehicle-width-direction outer side.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 of this embodiment includes apair of left and right side sills 11 that extend in the vehiclefront-rear direction at positions spaced apart from each other at apredetermined interval in the vehicle width direction, a pair of leftand right rear side frames 12 that are connected to back ends of theside sills 11 and extend to the vehicle rear side, a floor panel 13 thatforms a floor of the vehicle 1 between the pair of left and right sidesills 11 and the pair of left and right rear side frames 12, and a firstfloor cross member 14 that connects the pair of left and right rear sideframes 12 to each other in the vehicle width direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, on the vehicle upper side withrespect to the pair of left and right side sills 11, the vehicle 1includes a pair of left and right roof side rails 21 that extend in thevehicle front-rear direction at positions spaced apart from each otherat a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction, a roof panel22 that connects the pair of left and right roof side rails 21 to eachother in the vehicle width direction, a roof reinforcement (not shown),a rear header 23, and a pair of left and right rear pillars 24 thatextend to the vehicle rear side and lower side from back ends of theroof side rails 21.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a rear end 31 thatconnects the pair of left and right rear pillars 24 to each other in thevehicle width direction and forms a rear wall of the trunk, a pair ofleft and right rear side panels 32 that form side walls of the vehicle1, a pair of left and right side pillars 33 that connect rear portionsof the side sills 11 and the roof side rails 21 to each other, and apair of left and right wheel well inner portions 34 that cover rearwheels (not shown) of the vehicle 1 on the vehicle front side withrespect to the rear end 31.

An opening surrounded by the rear header 23, the pair of left and rightrear pillars 24, and the rear end 31 is a back door opening S1 coveredby the back door in an openable and closeable manner An openingsurrounded by the side sill 11, the roof side rail 21, the side pillar33, and a hinge pillar (not shown) that connects the side sill 11 andthe roof side rail 21 to each other on the front side of the vehicle 1is a side door opening S2, which is covered by a side door in anopenable and closeable manner and through which the occupant performsthe boarding and the alighting.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the pair of left and right side sills 11 aremembers forming a vehicle body framework of a vehicle lower portion andare each formed in a shape, which has a length in the vehicle front-reardirection and of which back end is positioned on the vehicle front sidewith respect to the first floor cross member 14 and front end ispositioned on a front end of the vehicle cabin.

The side sill 11 forms a closed cross-section that extends in thevehicle front-rear direction and joins a side sill inner portion (notshown) positioned on the vehicle-width-direction inner side and a sidesill outer portion (not shown) positioned on the vehicle-width-directionouter side to each other in the vehicle width direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the pair of left and right rear side frames 12are members forming the vehicle body framework of the vehicle lowerportion and have front ends joined to the back ends of the side sills 11via the first floor cross member 14 and back ends joined to the rear end31.

The rear side frame 12 includes a side frame lower portion (not shown),which is positioned on the vehicle lower side and of whichcross-sectional shape in a vertical cross-section along the vehiclewidth direction is a cross-section having a substantially hat-shapedprofile that protrudes to the vehicle lower side, and a side frame upperportion (not shown), which is positioned on the vehicle upper side andof which cross-section is substantially plate-shaped. By joining theside frame lower portion and the side frame upper portion to each otherin the vehicle up-down direction, the rear side frame 12 forms a closedcross-section that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the floor panel 13 is a panel memberforming the floor of the vehicle 1 between the pair of left and rightside sills 11 and the pair of left and right rear side frames 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the first floor cross member 14connects places near front ends of the pair of left and right rear sideframes 12 and front end lower portions of the pair of left and rightwheel well inner portions 34 described below to each other in thevehicle width direction and forms a vehicle body framework that extendsin the vehicle width direction with the floor panel 13.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the first floor cross member 14 includes across member 14 a joined to the floor panel 13, and a pair of left andright side braces 14 b that extend to the vehicle upper side and rearside from both ends of the cross member 14 a in the vehicle widthdirection.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cross member 14 a is formed to have across-section having a substantially hat-shaped profile that protrudesto the vehicle upper side in a vertical cross-section along the vehiclefront-rear direction. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the side brace 14 b isformed to have a cross-section having a substantially hat-shaped profilethat is continuous from the cross member 14 a and in a shape thatextends to the vehicle upper side and rear side from the cross member 14a so as to be provided along the wheel well inner portion 34.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, on the vehicle lower side of the cross member14 a, a second floor cross member 15 that connects the pair of left andright rear side frames 12 to each other is disposed. As illustrated inFIG. 3, the second floor cross member 15 has a cross-sectional shape ina vertical cross-section along the vehicle front-rear direction that isformed to be a cross-section having a substantially hat-shaped profilethat protrudes to the vehicle lower side. The second floor cross member15 forms a closed cross-section that extends in the vehicle widthdirection by being joined to the first floor cross member 14 such thatthe floor panel 13 is interposed therebetween.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a torsion-beam rear suspension 17 is providedon the lower side of the first floor cross member 14 and the secondfloor cross member 15. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the rearsuspension 17 includes a pair of left and right trailing arms 17 a thatare closed cross-sectional members that extend in the vehicle front-reardirection so as to be spaced apart from each other at a predeterminedinterval in the vehicle width direction, a cross beam 17 b that connectsfront portions of the trailing arms 17 a to each other in the vehiclewidth direction, and a pair of left and right spring seats 17 c on whichcoil springs C are placed, and is suspended between bottom portions(lower surfaces of the side pillars 33) of the vehicle 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the rear suspension 17, the trailing arms17 a are provided on the front side, and the spring seats 17 c on whichthe coil springs C are mounted are provided on the rear side via thecross member 14 a. In other words, the rear suspension 17 is disposed inthe substantially same position as the cross member 14 a in the vehiclefront-rear direction.

In the rear suspension 17 formed as above, suspension dampers 18 thatextend in the up-down direction on the wheel assembly upper side areconnected to the rear sides of the trailing arms 17 a connected to thelower surfaces of the side pillars 33, and the suspension dampers 18 andthe coil springs C buffer the impact from the road surface. In FIG. 3,an upper end portion of the suspension damper 18 that is hidden by thewheel well inner portion 34 and cannot seen is illustrated by brokenlines.

Although detailed illustrations thereof are omitted, each of the pair ofleft and right roof side rails 21 forms a closed cross-section thatextends in the vehicle front-rear direction by joining a roof side railouter portion having a cross-sectional shape that protrudes to thevehicle-width-direction outer side, and a roof side rail inner portionpositioned on the vehicle-width-direction inner side with respect to theroof side rail outer portion and having a cross-sectional shape thatprotrudes to the vehicle-width-direction inner side to each other in avertical cross-section along the vehicle width direction.

The roof side rail 21 forms a vehicle body framework that extends in thevehicle front-rear direction by forming the closed cross-section thatextends in the vehicle front-rear direction by the roof side rail outerportion and the roof side rail inner portion.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the rear header 23 connects places nearjoining sections between the roof side rails 21 and the rear pillars 24to each other in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, asillustrated in FIG. 3, the rear header 23 forms a closed cross-sectionthat extends in the vehicle width direction by joining a rear headerupper portion (not shown) having a vertical cross-sectional shape thatprotrudes to the vehicle upper side, and a rear header lower portion 23a positioned on the vehicle lower side with respect to the rear headerupper portion and having a vertical cross-sectional shape that protrudesto the vehicle lower side to each other in a vertical cross-sectionalong the vehicle front-rear direction.

The rear header 23 forms a vehicle body framework that extends in thevehicle front-rear direction by forming a closed cross-section thatextends in the vehicle front-rear direction by the rear header upperportion and the rear header lower portion 23 a.

The pair of left and right rear pillars 24 are connected to the roofside rails 21 that extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. In otherwords, the pair of left and right rear pillars 24 are connected to therear header 23 that extends in the vehicle width direction via the roofside rails 21. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the rear pillar24 includes a rear pillar upper portion 24 a that extends from a backend portion of the roof side rail 21 toward the rear side and thediagonally lower side, and a rear pillar lower portion 24 b that extendstoward a place on the rear side and the diagonally lower side of therear pillar upper portion 24 a.

On a surface of the rear pillar upper portion 24 a that faces thevehicle-width-direction inner side, a fastening portion 24 c to befastened with the connecting member 52 described below is provided (seeFIG. 8A). The fastening portion 24 c is provided in a place near a placeabove a connecting portion between the rear pillar upper portion 24 aand the roof side rail 21 and in a place near a corner portion 25 curvedfrom a front end portion of the rear pillar upper portion 24 a to therear header 23.

The rear pillar 24 forms a closed cross-section that extends from a backend of the roof side rail 21 to the vehicle rear side and lower side soas to be continuous with the closed cross-section of the roof side rail21 by joining the rear pillar upper portion 24 a and the rear pillarlower portion 24 b to each other.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rear end 31 includes a rear endpanel 35 that is a panel member serving as the rear wall of the trunk,and a rear end cross member 36 joined to a front surface of the rear endpanel 35. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rear end panel 35 is a panelmember having a thickness in the vehicle front-rear direction and isdisposed on a back end of the floor panel 13 so as to be provided in aprotruding manner. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rear end cross member36 has a vertical cross-sectional shape in a vertical cross-sectionalong the vehicle front-rear direction that is a cross-section having asubstantially hat-shaped profile that protrudes to the vehicle frontside, and forms a closed cross-section that extends in the vehicle widthdirection so as to be continuous with the closed cross-sections of therear pillars 24 by having both ends in the vehicle width direction thatare joined to the pair of left and right rear pillars 24 and having arear surface joined to the rear end panel 35.

The rear end 31 formed as above forms a vehicle body framework thatextends in the vehicle width direction by forming the closedcross-section that extends in the vehicle width direction to becontinuous with the closed cross-sections in the pair of left and rightrear pillars 24 by the rear end panel 35 and the rear end cross member36.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the pair of left and right rearside panels 32 are panel members that cover a portion surrounded by theside sills 11, the rear side frames 12, the roof side rails 21, the rearpillars 24, the rear end 31, the wheel well inner portions 34, and theside pillars 33. A front end edge of the rear side panel 32 that is aback end edge of the side door opening S2 is formed in a shape in whichan upper end is positioned in the substantially same position as a lowerend in the vehicle front-rear direction in side view.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rear side panel 32 includes a side panellower portion 37 to which the wheel well inner portion 34 is joined, anda side panel upper portion 38 joined to an upper end of the side panellower portion 37. The side panel lower portion 37 forms a side wall ofthe trunk and forms a rear wheel well 39 that covers the rear wheel withthe wheel well inner portion 34 described below. Specifically, asillustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the side panel lower portion 37 is apanel member having a thickness in the vehicle width direction and has awheel well outer portion 37 a that is a portion that bulges out to thevehicle-width-direction outer side.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, an opening S3 opened in asubstantially triangular shape in side view is formed in the side panelupper portion 38 as an opening. The opening S3 is formed as an openingon which window glass (not shown) is mounted.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, each of the pair of left and rightside pillars 33 connects the rear portion of the side sill 11 and theroof side rail 21 to each other in the vehicle up-down direction alongthe front end edge of the rear side panel 32 that is the back end edgeof the side door opening S2.

In more detail, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a horizontalcross-sectional shape of the side pillar 33 in a horizontalcross-section along the vehicle width direction is a cross-sectionhaving a substantially hat-shaped profile that protrudes to thevehicle-width-direction outer side, and the side pillar 33 has a lowerend that is joined to the side sill 11 and an upper end that is joinedto the roof side rail 21. The side pillar 33 has a surface on thevehicle-width-direction inner side that is joined to a surface of therear side panel 32 on the vehicle-width-direction outer side. As aresult, the side pillar 33 forms a closed cross-section that extends inthe vehicle up-down direction. The side pillar 33 forms a vehicle bodyframework that extends in the vehicle up-down direction by forming theclosed cross-section that extends in the vehicle up-down direction withthe rear side panel 32.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the pair of left and right wheelwell inner portions 34 are disposed on the vehicle rear side withrespect to the back end edges of the side door openings S2 and areformed to have substantially dome-like shapes that bulge out to thevehicle-width-direction inner side with respect to the rear side panel32.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the wheel well innerportion 34 includes an arc-shaped wheel well upper surface 34 a thatprotrudes toward the upper side, a wheel well inner surface 34 b formedon the vehicle-width-direction inner side, and a ridge portion 34 c on aportion at which the wheel well upper surface 34 a and the wheel wellinner surface 34 b intersect with each other. The wheel well innerportion 34 formed as above forms the rear wheel well 39 with the wheelwell outer portion 37 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the wheel well upper surface 34 a isformed as a rear damper supporting portion 34 d that supports an upperend of the suspension damper 18. In other words, the wheel well innerportion 34 functions as a rear suspension tower that supports thesuspension damper 18.

In more detail, the rear damper supporting portion 34 d is set to have agreater plate thickness than other members. In other words, the reardamper supporting portion 34 d is formed to have a higher rigidity thanperipheral sections. The upper end of the suspension damper 18 insertedthrough an insertion hole is fastened and fixed to the rear dampersupporting portion 34 d having a high rigidity as above. In other words,the rear damper supporting portion 34 d supports the upper end of thesuspension damper 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the gusset member 51 connected tothe rear pillar 24 is joined to the wheel well inner portion 34, and theconnecting member 52 connected to the rear pillar 24 is fastened andfixed to the wheel well inner portion 34.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the gusset member 51 is aplate-shaped component member composed of a body 51 a formed to have asubstantially inverted L-shaped cross-section in vehicle front view, anda protrusion 51 b having a substantially inverted L-shaped cross-sectionin vehicle front view that protrudes to the vehicle-width-directioninner side from the lower end side of a front-side portion in a state inwhich the body 51 a is mounted from the front side to the rear side.

The body 51 a is formed to be inclined to the upper side as the body 51a approaches the vehicle rear side in a state of being fixed to thewheel well inner portion 34. A surface of the body 51 a that faces inthe vehicle width direction has the substantially same width in thefront-rear direction and has a front end portion in which bolt holes 51c through which fastening is possible with bolts are provided. In theback end portion of the body 51 a, rear-side joining portions 51 d to becoupled to the rear pillar 24 are provided on the surface that faces inthe vehicle width direction.

The protrusion 51 b is formed so as to be provided along the shape ofthe ridge portion 34 c formed on the portion at which the wheel wellupper surface 34 a and the wheel well inner surface 34 b intersect witheach other, and has front-side joining portions 51 e to be joined to thewheel well inner portion 34 provided on the front end side and the lowerside thereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the gusset member 51 formed asabove, a front end portion of the gusset member 51 is fixed to the ridgeportion 34 c in the wheel well inner portion 34 that bulges out to thevehicle-width-direction inner side so as to cover the ridge portion 34 cfrom the vehicle rear side and the vehicle-width-direction inner side,and a back end portion of the gusset member 51 is fixed to the rearpillar lower portion 24 b so as to cover the rear pillar lower portion24 b from the vehicle front side and the vehicle-width-direction innerside. The gusset member 51 is joined to the rear damper supportingportion 34 d to which the upper end of the suspension damper 18 is fixedand can transmit the up-down-direction load from the suspension damper18 to the rear side.

In this embodiment, the gusset member 51 is joined to, but not limitedto, the rear damper supporting portion 34 d that corresponds to a placeto which the upper end of the suspension damper 18 is fixed. Forexample, the gusset member 51 may be fixed to any place near the reardamper supporting portion 34 d as long as the up-down-direction loadfrom the suspension damper 18 can be received and transmitted along thegusset member 51.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the connecting member 52 connectsthe vehicle rear side of the rear damper supporting portion 34 d in thewheel well inner portion 34 and an upper end of the rear pillar upperportion 24 a to each other in the vehicle front-rear direction so as tobe substantially parallel to the side brace 14 b. More particularly, asillustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the connecting member 52 has a flatplate structure and includes a flat surface portion 52 a formed by aflat surface facing in the vehicle width direction and a bead 52 b thatprotrudes along the vehicle-width-direction inner side in a centralportion of the flat surface portion 52 a and extends in the longitudinaldirection in a fixed state. On four corners of the flat surface portion52 a, fastening portions 52 c that can be fastened with bolts areprovided. In other words, the direction orthogonal to the flat surfaceportion 52 a of the connecting member 52 matches with the vehicle widthdirection.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 8B, the connecting member 52formed as above has a front end that is fastened and fixed to the gussetmember 51 welded and fixed to the wheel well inner portion 34 and therear header 23, and a back end that is fastened and fixed to the rearpillar upper portion 24 a.

The coupling of the gusset member 51 and the connecting member 52 willnow be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. Asdescribed above, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the gusset member 51 has afront-side portion that is welded and fixed to the ridge portion 34 c soas to cover the ridge portion 34 c from the vehicle rear side and thevehicle-width-direction inner side, and a rear-side portion that isdisposed on the rear pillar lower portion 24 b so as to cover the rearpillar lower portion 24 b from the vehicle front side and thevehicle-width-direction inner side, and the rear-side joining portions51 d and the front-side joining portions 51 e are welded and fixed tothe rear pillar lower portion 24 b and the wheel well inner portions 34,respectively. As a result, the gusset member 51 connects the wheel wellinner portion 34 and the rear pillar lower portion 24 b to each other.

As described above, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, a front-side portion ofthe connecting member 52 is disposed on the bolt holes 51 c of thegusset member 51 fixed to the wheel well inner portion 34 and the rearpillar lower portion 24 b such that the fastening portions 52 c matchwith the bolt holes 51 c, the connecting member 52 is disposed such thatthe fastening portions 52 c on the rear-side portion of the connectingmember 52 match with the fastening portion 24 c provided on the rearpillar upper portion 24 a, and the connecting member 52 is fastened tothe wheel well inner portion 34 and the rear pillar upper portion 24 a.As a result, the connecting member 52 is fixed to the wheel well innerportion 34 and the rear pillar upper portion 24 a.

As described above, by forming the connecting member 52 to be able to befastened and fixed to the wheel well inner portion 34 and the rearpillar 24, the connecting member 52 can be added later. In other words,the connecting member 52 can be mounted after disposing in-vehicleequipment such as a car speaker on the vehicle-width-direction outerside of the connecting member 52.

As described above, the gusset member 51 and the connecting member 52have front end portions connected to the ridge portion 34 c and back endportions connected to the rear pillar lower portion 24 b and the rearpillar upper portion 24 a, and the gusset member 51, the connectingmember 52, and the rear pillar 24 form a triangular shape.

The wheel well inner portion 34 to which the gusset member 51 and theconnecting member 52 are connected is a portion (in other words, therear damper supporting portion 34 d) to which the suspension damper 18of the suspension damper 18 is connected, and hence can receive theup-down-direction load input to the wheel well inner portion 34 via thesuspension damper 18 by the gusset member 51 and the connecting member52 and distribute the up-down-direction load to the gusset member 51 andthe connecting member 52.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the connecting member 52 formed as aboveconnects an upper end portion of the rear pillar 24 near the rear header23 and the ridge portion 34 c near the rear damper supporting portion 34d to each other. As a result, the annular vehicle body framework F thatis substantially annular in front view is formed by the cross member 14a provided near the rear suspension 17, the pair of left and right sidebraces 14 b connected to vehicle-width-direction end portions of thecross member 14 a, the rear header 23 provided in the vehicle widthdirection, and the connecting members 52 that connect the side braces 14b and an upper end portion of the rear header 23 to each other via thewheel well inner portions 34.

As described above, the vehicle 1 includes, on the vehicle rear side:the pair of left and right side pillars 33 that extend in the vehiclefront-rear direction; the cross member 14 a that connects the sidepillars 33 to each other in the vehicle width direction; and the rearheader 23 that extends in the vehicle width direction on the upper sideof the back door opening S1. The vehicle 1 includes: the pair of leftand right rear suspensions 17 disposed on the lower surfaces of the sidepillars 33 and in the substantially same position as the cross member 14a in the vehicle front-rear direction; the pair of left and right wheelwell inner portions 34 disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect tothe cross member 14 a and each having an upper end having the reardamper supporting portion 34 d on which the upper end of the suspensiondamper 18 is mounted; the pair of left and right side braces 14 b thateach connect the place near the cross member 14 a and the place near therear damper supporting portion 34 d to each other in the vehicle up-downdirection; and the pair of left and right connecting members 52 thateach connect the place near the rear damper supporting portion 34 d andthe place near each end portion of the rear header 23 in the vehiclewidth direction to each other. The cross member 14 a, the pair of leftand right side braces 14 b, the pair of left and right connectingmembers 52, and the rear header 23 form the annular vehicle bodyframework F that is substantially annular in front view. As a result,the vehicle-body structure of the vehicle 1 capable of suppressing thedistorted deformation of the back door opening S1 can be obtained.

By connecting the place near each of the pair of left and right wheelwell inner portions 34 and the place near each end portion of the rearheader 23 in the vehicle width direction to each other by each of thepair of left and right connecting members 52, the cross member 14 a, thepair of left and right side braces 14 b, the pair of left and rightconnecting members 52, and the rear header 23 can form the annularvehicle body framework F that is substantially annular in front view.The cross member 14 a that forms the annular structure is disposed inthe substantially same position as the rear suspension 17 in the vehiclefront-rear direction, and the connecting member 52 is connected to theplace near the rear damper supporting portion 34 d on which the upperend of the suspension damper 18 is mounted, and hence theup-down-direction load input to the rear damper supporting portion 34 dcan be received by the annular vehicle body framework F.

In other words, the up-down-direction load input to the rear dampersupporting portion 34 d can be transmitted to the place near the rearheader 23 as an axial force, and the displacement of the rear dampersupporting portion 34 d can be suppressed. As a result, the distorteddeformation caused by the transmission of the input up-down-directionload can be suppressed by the corner portion 25 of the back door openingS1 and the like, and the distorted deformation of the back door openingS1 can be suppressed. Therefore, the ride comfort and the steeringstability of the occupant can be secured.

The connecting members 52 extend along the side braces 14 b so as to besubstantially parallel to the side braces 14 b, and hence theup-down-direction load input from the rear suspension 17 and the reardamper supporting portions 34 d can be transmitted to the connectingmembers 52 via the side braces 14 b in a continuous manner, and theup-down-direction load can be transmitted in a more efficient manner.Therefore, the input up-down-direction load can be efficientlytransmitted to the place near the rear header 23 as the axial force.

The wheel well inner portions 34 each have the ridge portion 34 c atwhich the arc-shaped wheel well upper surface 34 a that protrudes towardthe upper side and the wheel well inner surface 34 b formed on the innerside in the vehicle width direction intersect with each other providedthereon, and each of the connecting members 52 is connected to the ridgeportion 34 c. As a result, the connecting member 52 can be connected tothe ridge portion 34 c of which rigidity is relatively high, and hencethe up-down-direction load input from the rear suspension 17 and therear damper supporting portion 34 d can be transmitted to the rearheader 23 in a continuous manner As a result, the distorted deformationof the back door opening S1 can be suppressed more.

The connecting members 52 each include the flat surface portion 52 afacing in the vehicle width direction from the end portion (vehiclefront-side end portion) on the rear damper supporting portion 34 d sidefixed to the rear damper supporting portion 34 d to the end portion(vehicle rear-side end portion) on the rear header 23 side fixed to therear header 23, and the flat surface portion 52 a is fixed to onesurface (fastening portion 24 c) of the rear pillar 24 facing in thevehicle width direction and one surface near the rear damper supportingportion 34 d. As a result, the connecting member 52 can connect theplace near the rear damper supporting portion 34 d and the rear pillar24 to each other in a state in which the flat surface portion 52 a facesin the vehicle width direction without being twisted or curved.Therefore, the connecting portion can transmit the up-down-directionload input from the road surface via a rear suspension damper to theplace near the rear header 23 as the axial force in a more efficientmanner.

The connecting members 52 each have the bead 52 b that extends in thelongitudinal direction provided thereon, and hence the rigidity of theconnecting members 52 can be improved without increasing the mass of theconnecting members 52. Thus, the up-down-direction load input from theroad surface via the rear suspension dampers can be reliably transmittedby the connecting members 52. Therefore, the distorted deformation ofthe back door opening S1 can be suppressed in a more reliable manner.

The rear pillar 24 that extends from the rear header 23 to the lowerside and forms the back door opening S1, and the gusset member 51 thatconnects the place near the rear damper supporting portion 34 d to whichthe connecting member 52 is connected and the rear pillar 24 to eachother are included. Therefore, the rigidity can be improved, and theup-down-direction load input from the rear damper supporting portion 34d can be distributed to the connecting member 52 and the gusset member51 in a more reliable manner. As a result, the distorted deformation ofthe back door opening S1 can be suppressed in a more reliable manner.

Regarding the correspondence between the configurations of the presentdisclosure and the abovementioned embodiment, a vehicle body frameworkthat is substantially annular in the vehicle width direction correspondsto the annular vehicle body framework F. Similarly, a rear side framecorresponds to the side pillar 33, a cross member corresponds to thecross member 14 a, a lift gate opening corresponds to the back dooropening S1, a rear header corresponds to the rear header 23, asuspension mounting portion corresponds to the rear suspension 17, asuspension damper corresponds to the suspension damper 18, a damper topcorresponds to the rear damper supporting portion 34 d, a rear wheelwell corresponds to the wheel well inner portion 34, a side bracecorresponds to the side brace 14 b, a connecting member corresponds tothe connecting member 52, a wheel well upper surface corresponds to thewheel well upper surface 34 a, a wheel well inner surface corresponds tothe wheel well inner surface 34 b, a ridge portion corresponds to theridge portion 34 c, a flat surface portion corresponds to the body 51 a,a bead corresponds to the bead 52 b, a rear pillar corresponds to therear pillar 24, and a gusset member corresponds to the gusset member 51,but the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of theabovementioned embodiment and many embodiments can be obtained.

For example, in this embodiment, a case where the vehicle widthdirection matches with the perpendicular line direction orthogonal tothe flat surface portion 52 a in the connecting member 52 is described,but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the connectingmember 52 may be in a direction in which the flat surface portion 52 aintersects with a direction perpendicular to the vehicle width directionat an angle less than 45 degrees.

The bead 52 b is provided such that one bead 52 b is provided in thelongitudinal direction of the connecting member 52 from the vehiclefront side toward the vehicle rear side, but a plurality of beads 52 bmay be disposed in the longitudinal direction of the connecting member52 in a continuous manner, for example.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle,including, on a vehicle rear side: a pair of left and right rear sideframes that extend in a vehicle front-rear direction; a cross memberthat connects the rear side frames to each other in a vehicle widthdirection; and a rear header that extends in the vehicle width directionon an upper side of a lift gate opening, the vehicle-body structurecomprising: a pair of left and right suspension mounting portionsdisposed on lower surfaces of the rear side frames and in asubstantially same position as the cross member in the vehiclefront-rear direction; a pair of left and right rear wheel wells disposedon a vehicle rear side with respect to the cross member and each havingan upper end having a damper top on which an upper end of a suspensiondamper is mounted; a pair of left and right side braces that eachconnect a place near the cross member and a place near the damper top toeach other in the vehicle up-down direction; and a pair of left andright connecting members that each connect the place near the damper topand a place near each end portion of the rear header in the vehiclewidth direction to each other, wherein the cross member, the pair ofleft and right side braces, the pair of left and right connectingmembers, and the rear header form an annular structure that issubstantially annular in front view.
 2. The rear vehicle-body structureof the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the connecting membersextend along the side braces so as to be substantially parallel to theside braces.
 3. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle accordingto claim 2, wherein: the rear wheel wells each have a ridge portion atwhich an arc-shaped wheel well upper surface that protrudes toward theupper side and a wheel well inner surface on an inner side in thevehicle-width-direction intersect with each other provided thereon; andeach of the connecting members is connected to the ridge portion.
 4. Therear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 3,comprising a rear pillar that extends from the rear header to a lowerside and forms the lift gate opening, wherein: the connecting memberseach include a flat surface portion facing in the vehicle widthdirection from a damper-top-side end portion fixed to the damper top toa rear-header-side end portion fixed to the rear header; and the flatsurface portion is fixed to one surface of the rear pillar facing in thevehicle width direction and one surface near the damper top.
 5. The rearvehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 4, wherein theconnecting members each have a bead that extends in a longitudinaldirection provided thereon.
 6. The rear vehicle-body structure of thevehicle according to claim 5, comprising: a gusset member that connectsa place near the damper top to which each of the connecting members isconnected and the rear pillar to each other.
 7. The rear vehicle-bodystructure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: the rear wheelwells each have a ridge portion at which an arc-shaped wheel well uppersurface that protrudes toward the upper side and a wheel well innersurface on an inner side in the vehicle-width-direction intersect witheach other provided thereon; and each of the connecting members isconnected to the ridge portion.
 8. The rear vehicle-body structure ofthe vehicle according to claim 1, comprising a rear pillar that extendsfrom the rear header to a lower side and forms the lift gate opening,wherein: the connecting members each include a flat surface portionfacing in the vehicle width direction from a damper-top-side end portionfixed to the damper top to a rear-header-side end portion fixed to therear header; and the flat surface portion is fixed to one surface of therear pillar facing in the vehicle width direction and one surface nearthe damper top.
 9. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicleaccording to claim 1, wherein the connecting members each have a beadthat extends in a longitudinal direction provided thereon.
 10. The rearvehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, comprising:a rear pillar that extends from the rear header to a lower side andforms the lift gate opening; and a gusset member that connects a placenear the damper top to which each of the connecting members is connectedand the rear pillar to each other.
 11. The rear vehicle-body structureof the vehicle according to claim 2, comprising a rear pillar thatextends from the rear header to a lower side and forms the lift gateopening, wherein: the connecting members each include a flat surfaceportion facing in the vehicle width direction from a damper-top-side endportion fixed to the damper top to a rear-header-side end portion fixedto the rear header; and the flat surface portion is fixed to one surfaceof the rear pillar facing in the vehicle width direction and one surfacenear the damper top.
 12. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicleaccording to claim 2, wherein the connecting members each have a beadthat extends in a longitudinal direction provided thereon.
 13. The rearvehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 2, comprising:a rear pillar that extends from the rear header to a lower side andforms the lift gate opening; and a gusset member that connects a placenear the damper top to which each of the connecting members is connectedand the rear pillar to each other.
 14. The rear vehicle-body structureof the vehicle according to claim 7, comprising a rear pillar thatextends from the rear header to a lower side and forms the lift gateopening, wherein: the connecting members each include a flat surfaceportion facing in the vehicle width direction from a damper-top-side endportion fixed to the damper top to a rear-header-side end portion fixedto the rear header; and the flat surface portion is fixed to one surfaceof the rear pillar facing in the vehicle width direction and one surfacenear the damper top.
 15. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicleaccording to claim 7, wherein the connecting members each have a beadthat extends in a longitudinal direction provided thereon.
 16. The rearvehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 7, comprising:a rear pillar that extends from the rear header to a lower side andforms the lift gate opening; and a gusset member that connects a placenear the damper top to which each of the connecting members is connectedand the rear pillar to each other.
 17. The rear vehicle-body structureof the vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the connecting members eachhave a bead that extends in a longitudinal direction provided thereon.18. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 8,comprising: a gusset member that connects a place near the damper top towhich each of the connecting members is connected and the rear pillar toeach other.
 19. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle accordingto claim 9, comprising: a rear pillar that extends from the rear headerto a lower side and forms the lift gate opening; and a gusset memberthat connects a place near the damper top to which each of theconnecting members is connected and the rear pillar to each other. 20.The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to claim 14,comprising: a gusset member that connects a place near the damper top towhich each of the connecting members is connected and the rear pillar toeach other.